There is often some confusion between what a heart attack is compared to cardiac arrest. They are actually quite different things.

First, let's cover some basics so we have a good foundational understanding of why heart attacks occur in the first place.

The heart is a muscle that pushes blood into the body an average of 72 times a minute. Like any muscle, the more the heart is used the healthier it tends to be. This doesn't mean that athletes can't have heart attacks, but it does make them less likely to suffer from heart problems that seem to plague the world today.

The body could be considered a very intricate plumbing system. It is made up of miles of "conduit" through which blood is circulated. The body is a closed system, meaning that the blood continually circulates, first collecting oxygen from the lungs, then delivering it throughout the body and to all of the vital organs, before being pumped back to the heart and around the body again.

Just as with a regular plumbing system in a house, if one of the main "pipes" becomes fully or partially blocked it creates less of a flow. This is basically what a heart attack is. Fatty deposits on the walls of the coronary arteries gradually cause a narrowing on the inside. The increased buildup of fatty material begins to encroach upon the inner channel and starts to interfere with the free flow of blood through the coronary artery. As this continues harder plaques develop on top of the fatty deposits. If the plaque's surface ruptures or tears, as it often does, a blood clot may occur. If the clot causes only a partial blockage, the person may develop chest pains and some other heart attack symptoms. But when the blood clot significantly or totally blocks the flow of blood through one or both of the coronary arteries, a heart attack normally results.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, there is a difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest. Unlike heart attacks, cardiac arrest involves a shutdown of the heart muscle. It often happens abruptly, without much in the way of symptoms. Also unlike a heart attack, it involves an electrical malfunction. Part of the heart's electrical system short-circuits, causing "fibrillation". Fibrillation is a quivering of the heart muscle, where instead of actually beating, it quivers or shudders. In this condition it is unable to pump blood to the body and vital organs. If help is not on hand within minutes of the attack, the victim will first suffer brain damage, then die.

Where a heart attack victim normally has time to seek medical help and eventual recovery, a person suffering sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) has just four to six minutes before brain death and body death begin. It is estimated that over 95% of victims die before even reaching a hospital.

What's the answer?

Again, unlike heart attack victims, medical help is needed within minutes of cardiac arrest. If help is available it is best found in the form of a defibrillator. This is a device that sends an electrical shock through the heart, momentarily stopping it, but in so doing allowing the heart to recalibrate its rhythm and kick itself back into regular motion again. Amazingly, survival rates soar to somewhere around 75% when defibrillation is used on a cardiac arrest victim within several minutes of the episode.

Now here's the kicker:

Although it would seem from what you've just read that defibrillators are unnecessary for those prone to or suffering heart attacks, sudden cardiac arrest is more often than not preceded by one or more heart attacks.

So, should heart attack sufferers consider owning a portable defibrillator? You bet!

It wasn't too long ago that the only people using defibrillators were medical crews, hospital technicians, or other medical professionals. But times have changed for the better (although not enough people are aware of it), and you can now buy home-use defibrillators that are completely portable, simple to use, safe, and relatively inexpensive.

If you or a close family member have suffered a heart attack, are at risk of having heart attacks, or have been advised by a doctor that you a are high risk patient, consider purchasing a portable, automated, external defibrillator. It may be the best money you ever spent.